Out-of-state college students pay high costs. It’s worth it, they say
According to data from the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, which runs WUE, 49,177 students from 170 institutions benefited from the program, saving students approximately $615 million last academic year. In addition, 18,018 California residents who enrolled in out-of-state colleges saved an estimated $244 million in 2024-2025.
Margo Colalancia, the director of student access programs, said that participation in WUE is expected to keep growing.
“I do think that we are seeing more and more interest, not just in California, but from other, most of our other states,” Colalancia said. “The majority of the public institutions already participate, but in California, we are seeing an increasing number coming on board.”
Colalancia said that projected numbers of high school graduates declining in the West may prompt further institutional interest in WUE as California institutions look for more students to enroll. According to the commission’s “Knocking at the College Door” report, the number of California high school graduates peaked last year and is expected to decline 29% by 2041.
Outside of WUE, Blossom also received scholarships and “a hefty amount of financial aid” to help cover his current costs. On top of being an out-of-state student, Blossom also navigated being an independent student from high school into college.
“I actually lost both of my parents when I was a kid,” Blossom said. “I was emancipated. So I was on my own when I was 16, 17, 18, finished high school, I got into college, and so navigating college as an independent student is much different than what you’d expect from a regular student that has their family helping them out.”
For example, since Blossom can’t fill out the parental information sections on the Free Application for Federal Student Aid form, he chose not to fill out the form each year. Instead, his financial aid and tuition are calculated directly through his school.
“Navigating school as an out-of-state student, especially without parents and without help, it’s been hard, but I’ve been able to do it. It’s not impossible,” he said. “You have to work more, like I’ve always had, minimum two jobs while I’m in school. You have to grind, but you can do it.”
Blossom had various odd jobs throughout college, such as social media management, freelance film contracting, work at an auto body shop and serving at different restaurants. In addition to being a full-time student, he worked full -time and occasionally overtime, he said.
There was a moment during Blossom’s first year when he was ready to leave his Ggolden Sstate dreams behind and move back to Oregon. The challenges of being an out-of-state, independent student, coupled with that yearning for home, led him to months of preparations and applications to transfer to either the University of Oregon or Reed College in Portland, Oregon.
Then, something switched.
“Something clicked in me after I got rejected [from Reed College] and I was like, you know what? Maybe I want to stay, and so I slept on it for a month,” Blossom said. “And after a month, I decided I don’t want to transfer back anymore. I want to stay, and since then I have gotten completely comfortable, and I love California.”
Blossom plans to stay in California after he completes his degree.
“I don’t regret coming to California,” he said. “There could have been a completely different pathway I took, and it would have been interesting and I probably would have been just as successful, maybe in something different, but I chose this other pathway, and here we are.”
